"Boutique Games - Good or Bad?" Topic

My best answer would be that I like a lot of the models but haven't been tempted into playing any of them yet.

Unless Infinity counts as one of them. I play that a lot.

I see we are back to the polls with so many choices that coherent analysis is impossible.
Aren't all the examples taken from the "Needs more Boobies " board?

If people like them, more power to them – I don't especially but I am sure there are lots of people who do

I believe Infinity counts.

Not interested because….

Too many Special Rules
Too Obscure
Too expensive

I like them simple. I like a good bargain.

I'm interested, but gah! Too many special rules.

I bought a medium lot of Relic Knights from the KS.

I really like the small squad spotlight on the minis style skirmish.

Unless you play this game constantly, you will never learn what the heck your figures can do. And to play the game well, you need to know what all the other units you might face can do too >.<

End result: I'll play from time to time cause it's visually spectacular and fun.

If I ever et around to it, I may port the figures and setting into Super System or something more easily played.

I really like the concept, but none of them have caught my interest yet.

I like them, but find them a bit pricey. Inevitable of course as they are a niche of a niche of a niche hobby.

I played a game of Mailfaux with a friend at Cold Wars a few years back. He was thinking of using it for a convention game. We played through the "starter" scenario. Even with a figure per side, I felt kind of lost. I told him that it may be good for those who like this sort of game with lots of fiddly bits in the rules but it would not make a very good convention game. Simply not straight forward enough for someone to walk up and start playing. Fine for a tournament but that is likely it.

If I ever et around to it, I may port the figures and setting into Super System or something more easily played.

Super System is one of those games that could easily be used for other genres. I sat down and played several demo games at Cold Wars when it came out many years ago. I'm not a huge "supers" fan but I absolutely loved the game enough to buy a copy and the supplement when it came out.

It seems to me this also describes Warmachine and Hordes.

Most are bound for obscurity if you ask me. But the great thing about our hobby is its infinite creativity and imagination as well as the current abundance of selection.

I buy them on sale and use the components for other games/projects.

Wow, this poll has spawned a myriad choices since I started the discussion.

I like the concept and approach of Boutique gaming, but am limited on which ones I get into because of the price. Don't play them regularly enough to justify the expense.

There seems to be some confusion here. Infinity, Warmachine (possibly even Malifaux in many areas) aren't really Boutique games. They're mainstream games with a large following. Infinity may have started boutique, but that was a long time ago.

Just as in fashion, to be "Boutique", I think it has to be both expensive, very high production values and not mainstream. Games Like Kingdom death, Dystopian Legions, Relic Knights, Wild West Exodus and virtually any game that is on Kickstarter but usually can't be found at a FLGS.

This disqualifies games like Song of Blades, Supersystem, etc which aren't expensive and have slightly lower production values. Those games might grab the label "indie" perhaps?

As to the question at hand, I don't play or buy Boutique Wargames. Too expensive, and the rules usually are more complicated than I want to play. I prefer indie games and cheap figs, though some of my clubmates do buy Boutique games when the figures appeal to them.

The KS games to show up in stores [usually ideally] after the backers have received theirs.

In some countries, the stores got their Relic Knights before the backers did thanks to CMON's royal screw-ups.

The poll 5) XDVfinition is "Characterized by unusual settings (even if within recognized historic periods), high production values, small numbers of figures on small tables, and premium prices per model."

That is Infinity and Warmahordes.

It's really a silly question, good or bad. Why would they be bad, just because I may not be interested in them?

The poll definition…

Malifaux and Infinity are most certainly "boutique" games, and I love both of them!

Supersystem isn't boutique but is a great game nonetheless. A number of equally good goal system games were done as offshoots of S2 and folks like Who Asked This Joker should check them out. Chaos in Cairo and Chaos in Carpathia are just two of them…